In 1960, when the thawing optimism had dimmed, replaced by a modest and unexciting 'little stabilisation', a real phenomenon appeared in Polish newsstands - the monthly magazine Ty i Ja (You and Me). The title first caught the eye with its witty and sophisticated cover - a graphic variation on the theme of the title couple. Upon opening it, one was surprised by the grandeur and colours: full-page photographs, collages presenting fashion straight from Paris, illustrations accompanying extracts from new publications, advertisements for cheese, boilers, oven mitts and erasers presented like the most attractive high-end goods. Once the reader had sat down on the sofa with the miraculously acquired issue - the entire print run sold out like hot cakes - he or she learned what the DNA helix was, how to set up a modern kitchen and how to make a 'croque monsieur, or crisp pan'.

The exhibition "'You and Me'. Lajfstajlowy magazyn z Peerelu" at the History Meeting House is the first such comprehensive presentation of the phenomenon of a magazine that presented the lifestyle of the European middle class in defiance of the austerity policy. Showcasing fashion and design, it was itself a meticulously designed object. The visual design was the responsibility of Roman Cieślewicz, who was replaced a few years later by Elżbieta and Bogdan Żochowski. "Ty i Ja" reproduced drawings by Picasso and Topor, reprinted Baldwin and Bulgakov, Jarosław Iwaszkiewicz wrote about fashion and Oskar Hansen about design. It is often said to have been a "window to the West", but it was also a product of post-war, modernising Poland, where people still had to be reminded to brush their teeth and where leczo was presented as an exquisite dish.

The exhibition at the History Meeting House will provide an opportunity to explore not only the graphic design of the magazine, but also its content. The issues and reproductions will be accompanied by archival materials: cover and spread designs, fragments of the graphic designers' workshop, and reinterpretations of the "You and I" phenomenon seen through the eyes of contemporary artists: Nicolas Grospierre, Tomasz Szeresz and Szymon Zakrzewski. Those who are curious to know in which costume we will fly to the moon will find out in September at the History Meeting House. The curators of the exhibition are Julia Libera and Agata Szydłowska.